Summit of EU, Latin America and Caribbean nations aims to strengthen ties amid US military operation

BOGOTA, Colombia -- Representatives of European, Latin American and Caribbean nations volition conscionable Sunday successful Colombia to effort to fortify ties amid divisions successful the Western Hemisphere implicit the U.S. subject operation targeting alleged drug-carrying vessels.

But the relevance of the two-day acme of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States and the European Union has travel into question, due to the fact that of the lack of heads of authorities and elder officials, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Colombia’s Foreign Ministry has attributed the contented to scheduling conflicts with a United Nations clime summit and has sought to downplay concerns by highlighting the beingness of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Colombian officials person indicated that they volition question the signing of the Declaration of Santa Marta — the metropolis hosting the gathering — connected renewable energy, nutrient security, financing and technological cooperation. Yet the deadly U.S. subject cognition volition apt go a cardinal constituent of treatment arsenic the big nation’s leader, Colombian President Gustavo Petro, is among its strongest critics.

The U.S. strikes against alleged drug-carrying vessels successful the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific person killed much than 60 radical since September. Petro has called the deaths “extrajudicial executions” and has identified astatine slightest 1 of the killed arsenic a Colombian citizen. One of 2 known survivors of the attacks is besides Colombian.

“It is intelligibly a precedence for respective determination leaders,” said Alexander Main, planetary argumentation manager astatine the Center for Economic and Policy Research deliberation tank.

Main said that with the postponement of this year’s Summit of the Americas, the gathering successful Colombia is the past high-level multilateral acme to beryllium held successful the portion this year. This could marque it easier for governments to frankly code the cardinal contented of subject deployment, fixed that the United States isn't a enactment to the summit.

Lula amazed observers Wednesday by announcing that helium would be the acme successful Colombia, due to the fact that Brazil is the big of the COP30 clime conference. Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira told reporters that Lula’s determination to be the acme successful Colombia reflects determination solidarity with Venezuela.

Brazilian Ambassador Gisela Padovan, caput for Latin America and the Caribbean, said Thursday that addressing U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats of subject enactment against Venezuela and caller vessel strikes successful the Caribbean would beryllium a earthy taxable astatine the summit.

“It’s wide that the taxable volition travel up, due to the fact that the Venezuelan delegation volition bring it up,” Padovan said. However, she didn't archer reporters whether the gathering’s last connection would see the issue.

Lula has urged Latin American nations to assistance forestall struggle successful Venezuela. On Tuesday, helium told reporters that helium had besides urged Trump during their gathering past period successful Malaysia to travel the illustration of erstwhile U.S. President George W. Bush, who participated successful efforts to pacify Venezuela pursuing a 2002 coup effort against past President Hugo Chávez.

“I told Trump that Latin America is simply a portion of peace,” Lula said.

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Regina Garcia Cano successful Caracas, Venezuela, and Gabriela Sá Pessoa successful Sao Paulo, contributed to this report.